Vol. III. 



NEW YORK, AUGUST, 1882. 



No. 8. 



A MONTHLY ILLUSTRATED JOURNAL. 

 Devoted to the Gardening- Interests of America. 

 ONE DOLLAR A YEAR 



STNOLK NUMBER, 10 CENTS. 

 DR. F. M HEXAMER, 



I 



B. K. Bf.TSS «& SONS, Publishers, 



34 Barclay Street, New York, 



To whom all orders should be addressed. 



CONTENTS OP 



The American Garden 



Foe August, 1882. 



Page One Hundred and Tli irteen — Table of Con- 

 tents—Preserving Plants— Mrs. or Miss. 



Page One Hundred and Fourteen— The Vege- 

 table Garden— Seasonable Hints— Our Pre- 

 mium Peas— Turnips— The White Horticultural 

 Pea, by Dr. T. H. Hoskins— Corn Culture. 



Page One Hundred and Fifteen— The Squash, by 

 Chas. E. Parnell— Winter Radishes. 



Page One Hundred and. Six teen -The Fruit Gar- 

 ben— Seasonable Hints— Manchester and Hovey 

 not Identical, by J. H Hale— Large Strawberry 

 Crop, by Rev. E. Hathaway. 



Page One Hundred and Seventeen— Some Good 

 Strawberries in 1882, by J. T. Lovett. 



Page One Hundred and Eighteen — The Flower 

 Garden— Withered, a Poem— Seasonable Hints 

 —Crown Imperial— Guinea Flowers— Old Fash- 

 ioned Flowers, by E. E. Rexford. 



Page One Hundred and Nineteen — The Arum — 

 The Cape Pond Weed, by Win. Falconer— Bluets. 



Page One Hundred and Twenty— Lawn and Land- 

 scape— Ornamental Shrubs— Preserving Rustic 

 Work— Utilizing Grass, by S. E. Todd. 



Page One Hundred and Twenty-one — The Window- 

 Garden— The Herbaceous Calceolaria — Mig- 

 nonette. 



Page One Hundred and Twenty-two — Foreign 

 Gardening— The Botanic Garden of Para, by 

 E. S. Rand, Jr. 



Page One Hundred and Twenty-three— American 

 Scenery — Glimpses of California Gardens, by 

 Chas. H. Shlnn— Rural Life— Life on the 

 Farm — Home Luxuries. 



Page One Hundred and Twenty-Four — Books and 

 Pamphlets Received— Catalogues Received- 

 Answers to Correspondents— Miscellaneous. 



Page One Hundred and Twenty-five— Advertising 



PRESERVING PLANTS. 



Our last month's remarks about the 

 study and observation of natural objects 

 suggested to some of our readers the 

 pertinent inquiry of: "How to make a 

 Herbarium ? " 



In a small way, as keepsakes merely, 

 plants may be dried between the leaves of a 

 book with soft paper ; but, to make a Herbar- 

 ium for botanical studies requires more care, 

 yet expensive or complicated apparatus is 

 not necessary. 



Two pieces of board, a little larger than 

 the paper to be used, a quantity of drying 

 paper, and a stone or other weight, is all that 

 is needed. If, in addition to drying papers, — 

 for which unsized newspapers or any kind 

 of porous paper are suitable — single sheets 

 of light printing paper are used, the changing 

 of the " dryers " becomes considerably facili- 

 tated. 



On one of the boards are placed several 

 thicknesses of drying pads, and on these one 

 of the single sheets. The specimen, which 

 should be as perfect as possible, showing all 

 the essential parts of the plant, is then 

 spread upon it, so that all the organs of the 

 plant are plainly visible when dry, and yet 

 that the natural form is not changed more 

 than is necessary. 



Leaves and flowers and steins should not 

 be crowded upon each other, else the plants 

 will not dry well ; and when this is un- 

 avoidable, small pieces of paper should be 

 put between the crowded leaves. A single 

 sheet is placed directly on the plant, fol- 

 lowed by a drying pad ; on this another 

 sheet and another plant, and so on. When 

 all specimens are thus disposed of, a few 

 additional layers of dryers arc laid on the 

 top and covered with the second board. On 

 this is placed a weight of about twenty-five 

 pounds. 



After twelve hours the weight is removed, 

 the drying papers are changed for dry ones, 

 without disturbing the plants between the 

 single sheet, and the weight replaced. This 

 process has to be repeated every twenty- 

 four hours, until all the most succulent parts 

 of the plant are entirely dry. The dry 

 specimens are then arranged upon dry, 

 clean papers, and properly labeled with 

 their names, locality, and date when found. 



MRS. OR MISS. 



How much annoyance there could be saved 

 if we had a common title for ladies, both 

 married and single, as is the case with gentle- 

 men, who may be addressed Mr., without 

 regard to their married or single condition. 



It is, of course, to be supposed that every 

 lady knows herself whether she is a Mrs. or 

 a Miss, but she has certainly no right to in- 

 sist that everybody else should be possessed 

 of this information, much less has she a right 

 to be offended when a stranger, by seeing her 

 initials only, is in doubt whether Mrs., Miss, 

 or Mr., is the proper and decorous prefix. 



In a letter before us, the writer, who kindly 

 informs us that she is decidedly a Mrs. and 

 also that she is "a lady by birth," — which 

 latter information is of special interest, as 

 we could certainly not have surmised it from 

 the tone of her letter, — complains fiercely 

 about the incivility and rudeness in address- 

 ing her with her initials only. 



Now, nothing could be farther from our in- 

 tention than to insult a lady, and especially 

 "a lady by birth," by addressing her with- 

 out her proper title; but how can anyone, 

 without previous instructions, and no other 

 guide but initials, find out whether the writer 

 is a Mrs. or a Miss, and without a photograph 

 it would be even impossible to tell whether 

 the writer belongs to the fair or sterner sex. 



We would not for any consideration be 

 considered rude by our esteemed lady cor- 

 respondents, and beseechingly ask them for 

 assistance in this dilemma. 



Please sign your names with the prefix of 

 Mrs. or Miss, as the ease may be ! 



TO ADVERTISERS, 



Our September number will offer unusual 

 advantages to advertisers, as we shall issue 

 not less than twenty-five thousand extra 

 copies, to be sent as sample copies to as 

 many persons interested in gardening and 

 other rural pursuits. No extra charge will 

 be made for advertisements in this number, 

 so that advertisers will receive many times 

 their money's worth. A beautiful colored 

 plate of the new Clematis coccinea will also 

 be presented to our subscribers. 



Please send advertisements early. 



Copyright, 1882, by B. K. Bliss & Sons. 



